Addie Mae Ritter

This article contains the final part of the memoirs of Addie Mae Ritter Miller, as told to her daughter, Rosanne Miller Redman in 2003. Addie Mae was the granddaughter of George Hugo Ritter, the man who settled Flour Bluff in 1890. Addie Mae, who died November 25, 2009, paints a personal picture of a time gone by in Flour Bluff and nearby areas in her memoirs. It was her desire to leave the story of her life in early Flour Bluff and Corpus Christi to her descendants. The rest of Addie Mae’s memories appear in earlier articles on this website.

Herbert and I were married on October 2, 1936, in the rectory of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He was not a Catholic, so we couldn’t marry in the church. Mama and Daddy were there, and Alice and Mickey stood up for us. It was supposed to be a small affair with only Alice and Mickey there, but Mama had to be there, and she unknowingly invited a few other guests. I always regretted not having the Millers there. Mama also planned a small reception. When Herbert got there, I thought he was going to leave me at the altar, but he didn’t.

Photo courtesy of Kathy Miller Orrell

Alice and Mickey married in 1937 at the same place. She was working at Weil Brothers and then became pregnant and had to quit. I took over her job (which had been my job first). Herbert and I lived in town for a short while until I finished working there. We then moved to Flour Bluff so Herbert could fish. We lived in a small house that used to be Ben and Opal’s. They had lived in it for years until they built their house on Don Patricio Road. When it became empty, I asked Grandma Ritter if I could have it, and she said yes (Remember, I was a favorite of hers). That probably caused some strife in the Ritter clan. Herbert had a job driving the school bus for Flour Bluff School District. He was the first driver for the school. They furnished him with a small car, also. That job and fishing kept food on the table.

We spent our time playing bridge and dominoes and going to dances. A lot of time was spent with Alice and Mickey. I have many happy memories of those times. They had started their family, and we enjoyed their children, Deana, Butch, and Cheryl, so much! We were late in starting our family, so I guess they filled a void for us.

Photo courtesy of Butch Roper

We always had good friends and lots of family around – Aunt Opal and Uncle Ben and their family, Aunt Alice and uncle Harry and their family, Cattie and Lewis and their family, and Annie. Aunt Jo always had a special place in our hearts. Then there was Velma and JW and their five kids. They always came to Corpus in the summer, and we enjoyed going to the beach and having meals with them. They were our big city relatives. Melba and Jim Porter were always there to help us out when needed. Herbert used to drop me, Kathy, and Karen off at their house on Saturdays for lunch. Clyde and Howard were there also. They were the fishermen of the family and kept us supplied with fresh fish. We shared holiday meals with Alice and family and Melba, Jim, Clyde, and Howard. We continued many traditions started by our own parents. Thanksgiving was usually spent with Herbert’s family. Christmas Eve was always spent with Alice and her family. We exchanged gifts and at Mexican food and finger food. A big turkey meal was served on Christmas Day with Herbert’s family again.

My mother died in 1955 of liver problems. I missed her terribly. Life was not the same without her. She only got to spend a short time with her grandchildren. My father died in 1964 of a heart attack. I also missed him terribly.

Myrtle Watson Ritter, right (Picture courtesy of Kathy Miller Orrell)

Our family was finally started with the birth of our first daughter, Mary Kathryn, on October 28, 1945, at Spohn Hospital. (Miss Lena was gone.) She was named for Grandma Ritter. Karen Elizabeth – named for Grandma Miller – arrived on December 25, 1946. We were having Christmas dinner at the Miller’s when I decided I hat to go to the hospital. The doctor kept saying to me, “You are not going to have this baby on Christmas, are you?” Well, I surprised him and the whole family! Our family was complete with the birth of Rosanne Louise – named after Mama – on August 14, 1956.

I suffered some ill health after Rosanne’s birth. Kathy and Karen were only 10 and 9, but they had to help out a lot around the house. I was always puny during those years, but I got better.

Miller family (Photo courtesy of Rosanne Miller Redman)

Herbert stared working as a carpenter after being a bus driver. We never had a lot of money, but we always managed to squeeze by. We lived in the same house all those years. Before I had the girls, I would work at Weil Brothers when they needed me. I had to ride a bus to town. As a carpenter, Herbert worked on building the Naval Air Station. He also worked on the Harbor Bridge. He continued with odd jobs until his retirement. I started working at Flour Bluff Schools in 1962. At first, I worked in the Primary Library and then moved to the curriculum building. At some point, the curriculum building closed, and I was moved to the new Primary School until my retirement in 1982.

Herbert Miller, right (Photo courtesy of Kathy Miller Orrell)

Herbert died on November 30, 1974, of lung cancer. I would describe my relationship with him as stormy, but we did love each other, and I felt a great emptiness when he was gone. The rest of my life has been spent enjoying retirement. I got to travel because of Rosie; until then, I had never left the state of Texas. I traveled to Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia. I made my first quilt while staying with her for the birth of Nathan. I made many more quilts after that, and I am still making quilts to this day, although I have slowed down a bit. With the impending birth of two great granddaughters, I just completed two more baby quilts. I’m sure I am not done because there are more great grandchildren expected.

Addie Mae did the blocks when she was just 6 years old and then finished the quilt in 1980 when she began quilting again. (Photo and story about quilt courtesy of Rosanne Miller Redman)

I lived in Flour Bluff for 80 years before moving in with Karen and Mike. Since 1997, we have lived in New Braunfels, Seguin, and now Schertz. I continue to share their home. I am the last one left in my generation. I have lost my parents and both my sister and brother. Aunt Opal and Melba are still with us, and I have a few cousins left. I do enjoy getting together with them and talking about old times. I wanted to share my stories with all of you in hopes our family legacy will continue. It is good to know where you come from. I pray that my parents can look down upon all of you and see what a wonderful family they helped create. They would be proud!

Kathy married Kenneth Nelson, and they had one daughter, Kimberly Janean. Kenny was killed in 1973, and Kathy then married Douglas Orrell. They have one son, Eric Douglas. Kim married Troy Perkins, and they have two children, Kathryn Victoria and Collin Andrew.

Karen married Michael Mosel, and they have two children, Michael Kreg and Kelly Marie. Michael married Cindy Jones. They are expecting a daughter in January. Kelly married Robert Talavera.

Rosanne married Michael Redman, and they have three children, Jennifer Michelle, Stephanie Nicole, and Nathan William. Jennifer married Michael Robertson, and they have one son, Michael Grady, and are expecting a daughter in December. Stephanie married David Flowers.

Retired from education after serving 30 years (twenty-eight as an English teacher and two years as a new-teacher mentor), Shirley enjoys her life with family and friends while serving her community, church, and school in Corpus Christi, Texas. She is the creator and managing editor of The Paper Trail, an online news/blog site that serves to offer new, in-depth, and insightful responses to the events of the day.

This article contains the third part of the memoirs of Addie Mae Ritter Miller, as told to her daughter, Rosanne Miller Redman in 2003. Addie Mae was the granddaughter of George Hugo Ritter, the man who settled Flour Bluff in 1890. Addie Mae, who died November 25, 2009, paints a personal picture of a time gone by in Flour Bluff and nearby areas in her memoirs. It was her desire to leave the story of her life in early Flour Bluff and Corpus Christi to her descendants. The rest of Addie Mae’s memories will appear in later articles.

For fun, the grownup would have dances at their homes. All of the furniture in the living room would be moved, and we would all dance. We danced to music played on the phonograph. Later on, we would all meet at the schoolhouse for dances. There would be a small band playing–with a guitar and violin. It was so much fun! The last few weddings in the family have reminded me of those days–everyone, especially the children, dancing and having a good time.

Mama and Daddy also play dominoes (Forty-two) a lot. Their closest friends and neighbors, the Robertsons, were usually partners. They rented a farm next to us on the bay, and then we all moved to Flour Bluff. uncle Ben married a Robertson, our Aunt Opal.

Photo courtesy of Kathy Orrell

I attended school in Flour Bluff until I was 12 years old. I like school and did very well. We either walked to school or rode with the Roberson kids in an old jalopy. I don’t have many memories of school except that I continued to love reading. The farm in Flour Bluff had a row of chinaberry trees. I’d pick one and be lost for the day.

Incarnate Word Academy was located in downtown Corpus. I went to town to attend IWA until I graduated in 1933 at the age of 14! I boarded there. Aunt Jo was a novice and a teacher there. The first year I lived with a friend of Mama’s, Mrs. McAllister. She lived about 10 blocks away from the school. It was called Ms. Mac’s house. I went home on the weekends. I’m sure I was homesick. The second year I lived at the convent. The third floor was our dormitory. There was one big room, and each boarder had a bed with a curtain around it and a stand for personal items. Our clothes were kept separately. I had two special friends from Kingsville–Bernice and Laura.

We didn’t go to church on a regular basis when I was growing up. Alice and I were seven and nine when we made our First Communion. We were baptized right before that. Grandma Ritter planned the whole thing. Uncle Ben would take us to town for instructions. There was one church downtown for whites, St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Sacred Heart was the Mexican church, and there was another for the colored people. Grandma had a niece, Daisy, who lived in town and had a rooming house. On Saturday night, Grandma would take me and Alice to Cousin Daisy’s to spend the night. We would all go to confession and then get up on Sunday morning and go to church. We only did this occasionally since it was too far too hard to get there. That was the basis for my religious beliefs today.

Photo from Diocese of Corpus Christi website, ca. 1924

We celebrated birthdays at home with a cake and a little family party. Christmas was always a big deal though. We would go out in the brush a day or two before Christmas and cut our tree; it was a Sweet Bay tree because they stayed green in the winter. It was decorated with ornaments and tinsel. Small candle holders were clipped on the tree branches to hold the candles to light the tree. That must have been dangerous. We opened our presents on Christmas Eve. Mama and Daddy always saw to it that we had nice presents. On Christmas Day, we would have duck and stuffing. Mama would bake for days and make lots of goodies for the holidays. We always had dinner with relatives, either at their house or ours.

I learned to sew when I was 4 years old and have been at it ever since. I made a cap for my baby brother; I can’t imagine what it must have looked like. Mama was a good teacher, and she instilled in me a love for sewing. I have made many, many things over the years. After my retirement, I took up quilting and have enjoyed many years of doing that.

After graduating high school, I stayed in town and boarded with Alice and Mary Roper. I worked at Weil Brothers as a bookkeeper. We had a small apartment. Alice was attending IWA at that time. I worked to pay her $5 monthly tuition. My total salary was about $16. Mary was a beauty operator. I also tried that occupation, but it wasn’t that lucrative. We lived in town for a few years and then moved home. I started working at a bait stand on the Causeway in Flour Bluff where I met a handsome man named Herbert Miller. He was quite a bit older that me, but I became very interested in him. He was a fisherman along with his brothers, Clyde and Howard. At some point, I had boarded with the Millers while working at Weil Brothers.

Retired from education after serving 30 years (twenty-eight as an English teacher and two years as a new-teacher mentor), Shirley enjoys her life with family and friends while serving her community, church, and school in Corpus Christi, Texas. She is the creator and managing editor of The Paper Trail, an online news/blog site that serves to offer new, in-depth, and insightful responses to the events of the day.

This article contains the first part of the memoirs of Addie Mae Ritter Miller, as told to her daughter, Rosanne Miller Redman in 2003. Addie Mae was the granddaughter of George Hugo Ritter, the man who settled Flour Bluff in 1890. Addie Mae, who died November 25, 2009, paints a personal picture of a time gone by in Flour Bluff and nearby areas in her memoirs. It was her desire to leave the story of her life in early Flour Bluff and Corpus Christi to her descendants. The rest of Addie Mae’s memories will appear in later articles. (All pictures were provided by the family of Addie Mae Ritter Miller.)

On November 13, 1917, I was born to Myrtle Mae Louise Watson and Eric George Ritter. My birthplace was Brighton, Texas, which was the lower part of Flour Bluff at that time. Our doctor was one of the few in Corpus who owned a car. He drove out to Brighton and spent the night. The Ritter family had a practical nurse who came and stayed with the women when they gave birth. She was an old German lady and would stay with the family for two weeks. In those days the mother had to stay in bed for two weeks before resuming her duties. The nurse, Miss Lena, was there along with the doctor. I remember the story told to me about my birth. Miss Lena kept waking the doctor up and saying, “Come on, Doctor, it’s twins!” Of course, that wasn’t true.

My only sister, Alice Lena (named after Miss Lena), was born on October 12, 1919, during the 1919 Storm. Mama and Daddy started to town along with me. I don’t know if they knew a storm was coming or not. They had an old truck. I guess Mama was having trouble, so they stopped at a stranger’s house and called for the doctor. He came along with Miss Lena and delivered Alice. We had to stay in that house for two weeks! I think the house still stands somewhere around Six Points, which was the edge of Corpus at that time.

My only brother, Eric, Jr., was born on February 21, 1921, at home. The same doctor delivered all three of us. I remember when Junior was born. Alice and I didn’t know we were even expecting a baby. Daddy took us to Grandma Ritter’s and left us there for several days. When he came for us, Alice and I were making mud pies (I don’t know how I remember this). We were having fun and didn’t want to leave. But, when he told us we had a new baby brother waiting at home, we went right away. Since Junior was the only boy, I always thought he got special attention!

We moved from our house in Brighton before Junior was born. The storm of 1919 dumped a lot of salt on the land in Brighton, so we moved to a house on what is now Ocean Drive. The land was called the Black Land and was good for farming. Daddy raised cotton there. He was a sharecropper and farmed where the land was fertile. The house was on the bay. We would occasionally swim in the bay, which was fun. Alice and I were always good friends. We spent a lot of time outdoors, but my favorite pastime was reading. I would find a good tree, climb it, and read and read books. When my cousins would come to visit, they usually played with Alice and Junior, and I read. I was very curious about the world and interested in everything the grown up would talk about, so I would try and listen when we had visitors. Once, Daddy took me to a political rally in Corpus. That was a highlight for me.

Mama’s family, the Watsons, moved to Florence, Texas, when I was a little girl. We would go visit them every summer. That was always fun. It was a long drive, and we would stay about a month! When they would come visit us at our house on Ocean Drive, we would always have a fish fry on the bay. Daddy and the other men would cast a net into the bay and catch mullet. Then they would clean it and fry it right there on the beach. That was a lot of work for the grown ups, but lots of fun for the kids. We also had fish fries with our other relatives. We spent a lot of time with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and friends. There wasn’t much else to do in those days. It sure made for lots of fun memories.

Retired from education after serving 30 years (twenty-eight as an English teacher and two years as a new-teacher mentor), Shirley enjoys her life with family and friends while serving her community, church, and school in Corpus Christi, Texas. She is the creator and managing editor of The Paper Trail, an online news/blog site that serves to offer new, in-depth, and insightful responses to the events of the day.